But Kwan's story of the tumultuous love life of a Chinese beauty comes off as stilted and choppy - the product of a bold but tenuous casting choice and an ambitious script based on author Wang Anyi's epic novel, Song of Lasting Regret.

Much controversy has revolved around Kwan's choice of the perennially ebullient Hong Kong pop diva Sammi Cheng for protagonist Wang Qiyao, a subdued, melancholy character who invests her destiny in her lovers.

Qiyao's choice of men is questionable, sometimes masochistic: an army official who keeps her as a lover stashed away in a swanky apartment, but later flees the country; the unaccomplished son of a businessman who ultimately leaves for Hong Kong; and a young, restless entrepreneur who's also keen to go abroad.

Tony Leung plays a secret admirer who first plucked Qiyao out of obscurity by suggesting she take part in a beauty pageant, remains loyal throughout life's vicissitudes, but never wins Qiyao's heart. Happy-go-lucky pop star Sammi Cheng is the antithesis of the character she portrays.

Cheng, who juggles singing and acting careers like many Hong Kong singers, has a limited acting resume but won attention with strong performances in romantic comedies Needing You and Love on a Diet. Both films paired her with megastar Andy Lau.

Cheng is credible as the sad and passive Qiyao. She conveys the depth of sadness of Qiyao and her total subordination to her lovers, but her immersion in Qiyao's tragic life makes for a catatonic presence.

Cheng said recently she had trouble separating herself from her character. Kwan said he saw the toll it took on his star. "Pressure from other people, pressure from herself, led her to become basically exhausted, physically or emotionally, in the movie-making process," he said.

Cheng's heavily accented Putonghua dialogue - is another flaw.

Kwan says Wang, the author of the novel, preferred Taiwanese actress Wu Chien-lien, who starred in Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman, for the role of Qiyao.

Another popular choice was Cannes best actress winner Maggie Cheung, who starred in another of Kwan's old Shanghai movies, Center Stage.

Cheng is also hurt by a sparing screenplay, exemplified by Qiyao's abbreviated romance with Ming (Daniel Wu), the businessman's son. The couple exchange flirtatious glances. Scenes later we see their limbs entangled in bed.

In fairness, adapting Wang's rich novel was a tall order. Kwan had to track Qiyao from a youngster to middle age within a time span bearable for an increasingly antsy audience accustomed to instant gratification in the Internet age.

One aspect of Kwan's movie that has no trouble captivating viewers is its stunning visuals, thanks to famed movie art director William Chang who was responsible for Maggie Cheung's elegant look in Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love.

Chang has recreated 1940s Shanghai in style.

Think New York or Los Angeles high society in the same era, except everyone is Chinese. This is a world where men hit the ball scene resplendent in tuxedos, while women show off classic tight Chinese qi pao dresses. The preferred date activity is watching a Hollywood film starring Gregory Peck.

Cheng's hair, makeup and costumes are spectacular, transforming her from an innocent school girl with a bowl- style haircut, to a debutante with a perm, to a drab working-class nurse in the communist era.

The supporting cast is stellar. Leung, best known to international audiences as the playboy who falls in love with a young French girl in The Lover, exhibits the same awkward embarrassment of attraction to the underaged in Everlasting Regret when his character falls for Qiyao.

Leung is perfect as the older friend who is jaded and unfulfilled because Qiyao never develops feelings for him beyond a trustworthy friend.

Hu Jun, an accomplished Chinese stage actor who worked with Kwan on Lan Yu, a story of a gay mainland Chinese couple, exudes authority and charisma as the confident army official who takes Qiyao under his wings but later moves to Brazil after falling out of favor.

Actor Huang Jue is a younger Hu Jun, equally confident as Kela, Qiyao's young, restless lover.

Despite its flaws, Everlasting Regret is a solid artistic achievement, and therefore Cheng comes away a better actress.

Cheng says she's eager to try more roles like Qiyao.

"I'm not afraid [of taking on similar roles]. I like it a lot," she said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS